Compensator



Jan. 7, 1947. ROBINSON 2,413,728

COMPENSATOR Original Filed June 26, 1942 INVENTOR Jonas Robinson,

ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 7, 1947 COMPENSATOR v Jonas Robinson, ClarkeSummit, Pa.

Original application June 448,527, now Patent No. her 9,, 1945. Dividedand 26, 1942, Serial No. 2,386,574, dated Octothis application December23, 1944, Serial No. 569,558

4 Claims. (01. 87-14) This invention relates to pattern-controllingmeans and refers, more particularly, to means connecting a jacquard withheddles, jacks, pickers or other thread-controlling elements of a loomor'textile machine. v

This application is a division of my co-pending patent application,Serial No. 448,527, filed June 26, 1942.

As iswell known, jacquards are utilized for the selective operation ofheddles carrying the warp-threads in the case of a loom or thecorresponding' jacks or pickers in case of acurtain machine orNottingham lace machine, to deter mine the pattern of fabric produced onthe loom or machine. For that purpose, the heddles or jacks are allindividually connected by a series of strings or cords withthe lifters,hooks or needles of the jacquard. The number of strings is equal to thatof the heddles or jacks and is quite great. The jacquard is mounted, ofnecessity, high above the loom or machine frame, the length of thestrings or cords extending between the jacquard and the heddles or jacksbeing often from to feet.

It was found that these very long strings and cords change in lengthwith each change of the weather and its accompanying change of moisturecontent in the atmosphere. This change of length of string shows at itslower extremity which is the jack. A string may extend during dryweather to such an extent that the opera tion of the jacquard will notresult in the withdrawal of a jack or heddle, or a string may contractduring a period of great humidity so much that the jack or heddle willremain withdrawn despite the operations of the jacquard. As the stringvaries in length the jack moves from its regulated position either to aposition too far forward in a dry atmosphere or too far back in a moistatmosphere in relation to the spool thread. In either case, it means afault in the pattern of the lace. Constant attention and frequentadjustments are necessary to prevent those faults. It is among theimportant objects of the present invention to control the effects ofchanges in weather conditions on the expansion andnontraction ofjacquard harness strings and cords.

Another object is to provide acompensating device which will insureproper operation of the heddles and jacks by a=jacquard irrespective ofthe contraction or extension ofthe connecting v strings and cords.

Afurther object is to eliminate the necessity for constant attention andfrequent adjustments of the jacquard connecting means through thespecification.

provision of automatically operable compensating means interposedbetween the jacquard and the elements operated thereby.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in thecourse of the following In accomplishing the objects of the presentinvention, it was found desirable to insert into the line of eachindividual connecting string a metal element or equalizer whichspecifically com ensates against shrinkage or stretch of the stringoccasioned by humidity changes. ihe element is preferably located fairlyclose to the lower ex tremity of the string, namely, close to the loomor machine and is so shaped and placed in such manner as to compensatefor and absorb all expansion and contraction of the string from itsupper extremity at the jacquard to the pointof contact, with theelement. This may be accom plished by allowing the element to carry outa movement which-is different from the movement of the string actuatedby the jacquard. The string movement and said different movement of theelement are so combined and/or correlated that as soon as actionis'transmitted by the jacquard, the element will be able to manipulateits jack or heddle in the required manner irrespective of any extensionsor contractions of the string. v

Thus, in accordance with the present invention, one continuous string,the length of which is constant and whose sole function is to exert apull on the jack to an extent equal to the amount of lift that thejacquard calls for, is replaced by a connection consisting of the topstring, an equal-- izer and the bottom string. The equalizer performsthe following two functions:

Firstly, it serves as a connecting link between the top and the bottomstrings and transforms the lift of the jacquardinto the pull on thejack,

just as though there were one continuous string.

Secondly, it is so constructed that automatically it can neutralize theeifect of humidity on the string, 1. e. the change in the length of thetop string, and thus still transmit to the jack the entire pull of thejacquard.

According to some of the preferred embodiments of the'inventive idea,the element, which breaks up the continuity of the fabric string, may havethe form of a-plate, and may carry out a pulling movement, as well as aswinging movement. The swinging movement may be produced by an externalforce and may be transmitted to the jack or heddle; in that case thepulling movement is the one received by the elements from the string. Onthe other hand, the swinging movement may be caused by a guide forming apart of the plate and may constitute a component of the string movement,while another component is transmitted by the plate to the jack orheddle; this construction may be used for varying the lift of a jack orheddle and/or operating a jack or heddle from a plurality of jacquards.

The portion of string below the equalizer, while still being subject tochanges in length through weather conditions, is so short that anyslight change in length due to weather changes would be negligible andits effects would not be noticeable on the woven fabric.

The invention will appear more clearly from the followingdetaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawingshowing, by way of example only, some of the preferred embodiments ofthe inventive idea.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view illustrating the use ofpattern-controlling means which are constructed in accordance with thepresent invention, in a Nottingham lace curtain machine.

Figure 2 is a partial top view along the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a compensating plate in side elevation,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a somewhat different compensatingplate.

Figure 1 of the drawin illustrates diagrammatically a Nottingham lacecurtain machine [5, a jacquard l6 and a compensating or equalizing deiceI'l.

While Nottingham lace curtain machines are shown in the drawing inconjunction with the compensating devices, such devices maybeconveniently used with any other type of textile machine, such as a loomor a curtain machine of any type.

The Nottingham lace curtain machine 15 is of standard construction andis shown merely in the form of a diagram in Figure l. The machinecomprises carriages l8 carrying disc-like bobbins I9. Bobbins I9 carrytyin threads 28 and are thrown between warp threads 2| and spool orpatterning threads 22. There is one bobbin for every warp thread. Eachbobbin I9 is fiat and contained in a carriage; it travels through thethreads at right angles to the line of threads, forward and back at eachmotion of the machine, twisting around the threads and holding them intoa lace fabric Warp threads 2| extend through uniformly spaced openings'ofa warp bar or guide bar 23 and form a background of tightly heldthreads. Spool threads 22 extend through similar openings of a spool baror guide 'bar 26. There is a spool thread for each warp thread. The bar24 has a side motion which allows each thread to be built up, motion bymotion, into a pattern. Jacks 25 are carried by a jack bar 26 and areadapted to project between a pair of warp and spool threads. The jacksconsist of steel wires arranged side by side across the mahine, one jackfor each warp thread; they move through the threads from back to front.The tips of the jacks are regulated in a straight line directly behindthe line of spool threads. Each jack 25 is provided with a curvedportion 21 to which an end of a string 28 is attached.

In prior art, strings 28 extended over sley bars directly to a jacquardl6, making a right angle turn at a point about two feet from the jack.

Thus each jack is controlled separately from the jacquard by means of apulling movement of a string or harness.

In operation, bobbins l9 reciprocate in the direction of the arrow 30(Fig. 1) by being thrown between the separated threads, whilethe bars 23and 24 reciprocate in the direction of their lengths. There is one warpthread for each gauge of the machine. The warp bar 23 moves all of thewarp threads 2| in unison and has a side motion to allow the bobbin [9to pass on each side of the Warp threads forward and back and around itto tie it and hold the spool threads in position as they are built up toform a pattern.. The jack bar 26 carries out a reciprocatory turningmovement and moves the jacks 25 to the withdrawn position shown bybroken lines in Figures 1 and 7. At that time some of the needles of thejacquard 16 are operated.

The function of the jacks is to hold certain of the spool threads fromthe side motion. Those spool threads that are not held mak the sidemotion, are picked up into position bya set of points and tied to thewarp, and in this manner build up the pattern motion by motion.

As already stated, in prior art the strings 28 were directly actuated bythe jacquard needles, which pulled-them taut. Therefore, when the jackbar 26 moved back to the normal position indicated by full lines in thedrawing, some of the resilient jacks 25 were maintained in the withdrawnbroken-line position by their taut strings 28, and remained out ofengagement with the threads 2i and 22 during the movement of the bars 23and 2 3, until-the jacquard needles released the strings and theresilient jacks sprang back to their normal position. 7

The pattern of a fabric depends upon the positions of the jacks 25 inrelation to the threads 21 and 22, said positions being determined bythe needles of the jacquard l6 and the strings 28 operated thereby. Eachjack is controlled separately, through the medium of a pattern made ofpunched cards. Strings 28 may maintain the jacks 25 in full liftposition, or a halflift position in which the tip of a jack is locatedbetween the two bars. i

The described operation of a Nottingham lace curtain machine is wellknown and does not constitute a part of the present invention which isconcerned with means transmitting the movement of the needles of ajacquard [6 through the strings 2'8 for the purpose of maintaining someof the jacks 25 in the withdrawn positions.

As already stated, the strings between v the jacquard and the jacks maybe as long as'f20 or 25 feet, while the full path, of movement of the 2upper end of a jack for a full lift is about one inch. It is apparentthat variations, in atmos- 0 pherichumidity willcause the strings tocontract or expand. The variation in the length is probably five-eighthsof an inch during a change of weather from complete saturation. ofmoisture to complete dryness in the atmosphere. The change from day today may be from one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch. If the stringscontract too much,.they may prevent the jacksv from assuming theirnormal forward position, so that the jacks will remain. in the half liftor full lift positions despite the release of the strings by the needlesof the jacquard. On the other hand, if the strings expand too much, ajack maybe returned to a half lift or forward position despite themovement of the corresponding needle of the jacquard to the full liftposition. In either latory mechanism comprising an 5. event, the correcttransmission of the pattern from jacquard to cloth is prevented.

- In accordance with the present invention, the expansion andcontraction of the harness strings is automatically compensated by acompensator or equalizer ll (Figures 1, 2 and 3). The function of theequalizer is to so control the length of the strings that a straightline of jackswill be maintained in the same position in all condi tionsof weather changes. Thus the equalizer separates the top and bottomstrings.

The compensator Ill comprises a plurality of thinmetal plates 33, thenumber of the plates being equal to that of the jacks. For example, in.the case of a six-point machine; there are six plates side by side foreach inch across the machine. Each plate 33 is attached by a separatebottom string-28 to a separate jack 25, soas to make a horizontal pullon the jack.- The plates 33 extend in vertical rows and are separatedfromeachother by partitions 35 which are attached to a wall 3-5. Thestrings 28 are attached to ears 3.5 situated at the bottom of the plates33. The plates are located on the level with the jacks to make a rightangle turn in the strings. The forward edge of the plate 33, which facesthe machine It, consists of a vertical bottom portion 59 and an uppervertical portion 55 joined by a horizontal portion 52, the plate beingwider at the bottom than at the top.

Each plate 33 is connected at 3? by a separate top string I28 with aseparate actuating needle (not shown) of the jacquard it. The stringsI23 extend upwardly and are very long, While the strings 28 are quiteshort and extend substantially horizontally. The plate 33 does notcontrol or come in contact with the machinery parts of the loom, such asheddles or dobbies; itis a part of and controls each individual stringand each individual string must be equipped with one plate.

- It is thus apparent that according to the present invention, thesingle string of prior art constructions is separated. close to thetextile ma chine into two strings 23 and ma and a compensating plate isconnected to both strings.

The jacquard needle exerts an upward pull upon the string [238 and theplate 33 connected therewith. When the string l28 is of normal length,the extent of the upward movement of the plate 33 is represented by thedistance between the lines 38 and 39 in Figure 3. As already stated,this upward, movement of the string 523 and of the plate 33 is caused bya jacquard needle when for pattern purposes the corresponding jack 25should be retained in the rearward or lift position.

The upward movement of a plate 33 is transmitted to the correspondingstring 28 by an oscil elongated shogging bar 40 which is carried bylevers 4i mounted upon .a pivot 42. The levers M carry cam followers 43engaging cams M which arerotatable along with a driving shaft d5 andwhich are provided with circular surfaces 45 and projections l. Springs48 maintain the cam followers 43in engagement with the cams 45.

It is apparent that when a projection M engages the cam follower 43, thelever M is swung toward the plate 33. As soon as theprojection 4'! ismoved beyond the cam follower, the spring 38 pulls back the lever 4!, sothat the lever 4! and the bar 40 connected therewith carry out anoscillatory or swinging movement.

The length of movement of the bar 4!] depends upon the size of theprojections 41, and the latter are so dimensioned, that when a plate 33is in its lowermost position of rest, the tip 53 of the bar 46 moves notfar from the line 38 of Figure 3 and in its extreme forward position issituated beyond an extension of the line 553 but at a distance from theedge 5!.

When a plate 33 is pulled upwardly by a string I28, the tip 53 of thebar will move in the vicinity of the line 39 of Figure 3 and will strikethe plate 33 at about the point 54 of the edge as, since the edge to isfurther forward than the edge 5 l. The bar ill will swing the plate 33and at first one edge of the plate 33 will engage the wall 35. whereuponthe plate 33 will be pressed in its entirety against the wall 35.Obviously, the strinr 28 will be stretched taut during this movement ofthe plate 33 and if, at that time the jack bar 26 swings forward,the'string 28 willretain its pack 25 in the withdrawn position.

The position of the'ca-m M and the speed of its rotation are so selectedthat the time interval during which the bar All exerts its pressureagainst the edge 50 of a plate 33 coincides approximately with the timeperiod during which the corresponding needle of the jacquard H3 exertsits pulling force upon the string E28, these time periods beingsufiicient to maintain the jack 25 out of engagement with the threads 2iand 22 during a back-and-iorth movement of the bars 23 and 24.

g If atmospheric conditions or other circumstances cause an expansion orextension of the long string I28, then this string will be more slaclrbetween the jacquard I5 and the plate and the plate 33 will hang lower.Then the point of contact between the tip 53 of the bar 49 and the edge59 of the plate 33 in the full lift position of the plate will beshiftedupwardly from normal location 54 and toward the edge 52. However,so long as the tip 53 can strike the edge 59, the expansion of thestring l23 will not influence the action of the plate 33 upon the string23 and the jack connected therewith.

If the string I28 is contracted by atmospheric conditions, the plate 33will move upwardlmbut its operation will not be afiected so long as thetip 53 of the bar All can swing above the edge 52 in the non-liftingposition of the plate.

It is apparent that in ac ordance with the present invention, thecontinuous length of string, whose single function is to pull and holdthe jack in its position, has been changed to pulling unit composed ofthe top string, the equal izer and the bottom string.

The equalizer compensates equally well either in case of a gradual slowchange in weather con ditions, or in case of a sudden violent change,and maintains at all conditions of the weather the same relativeposition of the jack at its point of contact with the lace in themaking.

Figure 4 showsa plate [33 which may be used to maintain the jackconnected thereto not only in the non-lifting and full lift positions,but in" the half lift position as well. Forthat urpose, the front edgeof the plate [33 has three vertical portions 56, 63 and 6| and twohorizontal por tions 52 and 6:3. The jack remains in the nonliftingforwardposition so long as the shogging bar moves above the horizontaledge 64. The jack is maintained in a half lift position when the plateis somewhat moved by the shogging bar after the bar engages the edge 63.The jack is maintained in its full lift position when the plate is movedto its full extent by the shogging bar which engages the edge 60 of theplate.

' It is apparent that the string I28 may expand or contract within widelimits without interfering with the action of the plate I33.

It was found that normal atmospheric variations may cause a variation ofup to one inch in the length of a string I28, the operative extent ofwhich may range between 16 and 20 feet. The plates 33 and I33 must beconstructed so as to be able to compensate for this variation.

It is apparent that the described equalizers are designed so that theywill work in connection with the jacquard harness string automaticallyand by gravity for the control of the weather conditions so far as theyafiect a lace machine or other jacquard machines in the transferring ofthe pattern from the jacquard to the woven fabric. The action of theequalizers is not on some part of the machine or loom, such as heddlesor dobbies, but is directly on the individual strings, afiecting onlythe strings themselves. The equalizers are so designed and placed as toneutralize the variations in length of the long top strings occasionedby the changes in relative humidity; they do not have any control overthe changes in length of the bottom strings occurring from-a similarcause. However, the top string is such a large percentage of the totallength and the bottom string such a small percentage of the total lengththat the variations in length of the bottom string are not of a seriousconsequence.

It is apparent that the specific illustrations shown above have beengiven by way of illustration and not by way of limitation and that thedescribed methods and devices are subject to wide variation andmodification, without departing from the scope or intent of the presentinvention; all of su h variations and modifications are to be includedwithin the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a textile machine of the type having a pluralityof thread-actuating elements and a jacquard having pulling elements foroperating said thread-actuating elements, and elongated connectingelements having ends attached to said pulling elements; a device forcompensating for the expansion and contraction of said connectingelements, said device comprising other connecting elements connected tosaid thread-actuating elementsand plates connected to thefirst-mentioned connecting elements and the second-mentioned connectingelements, said plates and said second-mentioned connecting elementsbeing so located in relation to the firstmentioned connecting elementsthat a reciprocation of a pulling element is transmitted by afirstmentioned connecting element to a plate, but is not transformedinto a pulling movement of the second-mentioned connecting elementconnected to the plate, and means engaging said plates when they are inraised positions to move such raised plates along with thesecond-mentioned connecting elements, connected to said raised plates,and thereby to cause such second-mentioned connecting elements to carryout pulling movements, said means being adapted to engage said plates ina plurality of places to compensate for an extension or contraction ofthe first-mentioned connecting elements.

2. In a device connecting a pulling element of a jacquard with athread-actuating element of a,

textile machine, an elongated connecting element having one endconnected to said pulling element, another connecting element having oneend con nected to said thread-actuating element, a plate connected tothe two connecting elements and so located in relation thereto that araising and lowering of said pulling element is transmitted by thefirst-mentioned connecting element to said plate but is not transformedinto a, pulling movement of the second-mentioned connecting element, andmeans reciprocating in a direction substantially transverse to thedirection of the raising and lowering of said plate and engaging saidplate when it is in the raised position to move the raised plate alongwith the second-mentioned connecting element, whereby the second-'mentioned connecting element carries out a pulling movement, said meansbeing adapted to engage said plate in a plurality of places tocompensate for an extension or contraction of the first-mentionedconnecting element.

3. A device for compensating for the extension and contraction of anelongated connecting element extending between an actuating element andan actuated element, said device comprising a plate suspended by its topfrom said connecting element and having a narrower top portion and awider base portion, whereby said plate is raised and lowered by amovement of said actuating element'which is transmitted to saidconnecting element, reciprocating means engaging the base portion ofsaid plate when the plate is in the raised position and swinging saidplate, and another connecting element connected to said plate and saidactuated element and transforming solely said swinging movement of theplate into a pulling movement of the second-mentioned connectingelement, said means being adapted to engage said plate in a plurality ofplaces to compensate for an extension or contraction of thefirst-mentioned connecting element.

4. In textile machinery, a device for compensating for the extension andcontraction of an elongated connecting element extending between anactuating element of a jacquard and an actuated thread-operating elementof a textile machine, said device comprising a plate suspended by itstop from said connecting element and having a narrower top portion and awider base portion, whereby said plate is raised and lowered by amovement of said actuating element which is transmitted to saidconnecting element, a shogging bar, and means reciprocating saidshogging bar close to said plate, the tip of said shogging bar movingabove the base portion of said plate, said shogging bar being devoid ofengagement with said plate in the lowered position of the latter andstriking the base portion of said plate when the plate is in the raisedposition and swinging said plate, and another connecting elementconnected to said plate and said actuated element and transformingsolely said swinging movement of the plate'into a pulling movement ofthe second-mentioned connecting element, said shogging bar being adaptedto strike said plate in a plurality of places to compensate for anextension or contraction of the first-mentioned connecting element.

' JONAS ROBINSON.

